Cream of Scottish film-making gather at Loks for unique event

John A. MacInnes

The cream of Scottish independent film-making will gather in the southside tomorrow for a screening of seven of the country’s most successful short films currently enjoying international success.

Loks Bar and Restaurant, in Newlands, will play host to the event in which actors and directors of seven homegrown films, currently enjoying film festival success around the world, will join cinema goers to watch their productions.

Among the films being screened are Tanner Park, a science fiction thriller set in Glasgow by film-maker Ian Hendry; video-journalist Camelia Cazan’s tense drama Monday, which was screened at the Berlin Flash Film Festival, The Breaking Waves Film Festival in Nova Scotia and Les Films de la Toile international festival in Paris this year; and Platinum Backpack, an ambitious media mash-up that includes 50 different effect shots.

Others include February 29, a sinister twist on the conventional rom com, and Flake, a dark comedy set in Glasgow by director Jack Goessens, financed by a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter and officially selected for the Berlin Flash Film Festival and the Roselle Park Short Film Festival, in New Jersey.

When a Man Loves a Woman, featuring Glaswegian actress Jay Spence, is a short comedy film about the lies we tell our mothers, while The Ghosts of Burgundy Grove, from Director Ciaran Hodgman and currently enjoying a festival run, tackles the issue of dementia.

The event is organised by Craig Maclachlan, an actor and director who runs Maclachlan84 Productions in Glasgow.

He said: “This is a rare chance to see the work of the cream of the Scottish independent film industry. Their films have been selected for some of the world’s top short film festivals and watching them together is a great experience.”

The Scottish film industry is currently undergoing a renaissance with some highly original work being produced by young film-makers, according to Craig.

“Some of the world’s top film-makers including Ron Howard, Christine Lahti, Spike Lee and Steven Spielberg began their careers making shorts and it’s a great medium in which to learn your trade,” said Craig.

“It’s where you learn your trade and cut your teeth. That’s where you realise what you want to do. You do what you want. You make mistakes and you learn from them.”

Following screenings of all seven films, there will be a talk and a Q&A with some of the directors.

The event starts at 7pm tonight at the Newlandsfield Suite at Loks Bar and Kitchen, 16 Newlandsfield Road. Tickets, which cost £5, are available at the door. For more information visit http://www.loksbarandkitchen.co.uk